The meaning of the word Machine can vary, depending on its context. It can be a piece of equipment, i.e., a device, that uses electricity to do a specific kind of work. Some machines use gasoline, natural gas, diesel, or another fuel.
This diversity in application highlights the versatility of machines, adapting across centuries from simple tools to complex networks that form the backbone of contemporary industry.
The term may also refer to a large and extremely well-controlled organization or system. If I say, for example: “The party’s publicity machine is backing John Smith,” I mean the political party’s publicity department is extremely efficient and effective.
As a verb
When “to machine” is a verb, it can mean to make something. For example, somebody might say: “That material was machined in a factory in Thailand.”
The verb can also mean to work on something, such as a block of metal, and shape it into a finished product. In this context, to machine can mean to cut, drill, grind, slice, or bend into a desired shape. If something is easy to machine, we say it has a high machinability.
Here are five sentence containing the word “machine” as a verb. They will help you see how we use the verb in context:
- “The aerospace parts were precisely machined to withstand extreme pressures and temperatures during flight.”
- “After selecting the type of metal, the technician machined the component to fit into the larger assembly of the custom motorcycle.”
- “The jeweler machined the intricate patterns onto the surface of the ring, giving it a unique texture that sparkled under the light.”
- “We need to machine a new set of gears for the vintage clock to restore it to working condition.”
- “The carpenter machined the wooden planks with exceptional skill, ensuring that each notch and groove aligned perfectly for the cabinet.”
Definitions
The word machine can mean a few different things, depending on how it’s used:
1. It usually refers to a device powered by energy (like electricity or fuel) that has multiple parts working together to do a specific job, like a car engine or a washing machine.
2. It can also mean any tool or device that helps apply or move force, like a lever or a pulley.
3. Sometimes, it’s used to describe a powerful, well-organized group of people working together to get things done, like a political machine.
4. And it can even describe a person who’s extremely efficient and focused, almost like they’re running on autopilot; think of someone who gets tons of work done like a “homework machine.”
Machine – mechanical device
A machine is a mechanical structure that uses electricity or some other form of power source to apply forces and control movement. It does this to perform a specific action.
People, animals, natural forces, chemicals, electricity, or heat can drive machines. Early machines were mechanical devices that either humans or animals drove.
Modern devices have complex systems comprising mechanisms, control components, and structural elements. They include interfaces for convenient use.
A car is a machine, as is an airplane. Boats are also machines. Therefore, we can say that we use machines for transporting people, animals, and goods.
Home and office appliances, agricultural devices, robots, computers, and factory automation systems are also machines. In fact, there are hundreds of thousands of different types of machines.
Etymology of machine
Etymology is the study of where words come from, i.e., their origins and history, and how their meanings have evolved.
The term ‘machine‘ with the meaning ‘structure of any kind’ first appeared in the English language in the 1540s. It came from the Middle French word ‘machine,’ which meant a ‘device or contrivance.’ The Middle French word came from the Latin word ‘machina,’ which meant ‘engine, military machine, device, instrument, or trick.’
In the 1670s, the word began to acquire its modern meaning, i.e., ‘a device made of moving parts for applying mechanical power.’
According to etymonline.com, from the 1670s onward: “It gradually came to be applied to an apparatus that works without the strength or skill of the workman.”
The evolution of machines has been pivotal in the development of automation, allowing for the creation of self-operating systems that further reduce the need for human intervention.